ISLAMABAD – Chehlum (40th day to the martyrdom) of Imam Hussain (RA) would be observed today with religious reverence around the country amid strict security.

Processions will be taken out and majalis will be held in every nook and corner of the country to mark the day.

Stringent security arrangements have been made throughout the country especially in the major cities like Karachi, Lahore and Quetta.

Pillion riding has been banned in Karachi and Lahore while biometric verification for the attendants of the procession has been made mandatory for Karachiites.

Pillion riding has also been banned in Quetta while Section-144 has also been imposed for one month in the city. Ban has also been imposed on public gatherings, public meetings, rallies, processions and open display of weapons.

In Lahore, more tha 2400 police personnel have been deployed on the route of the Imam Hussain’s Chehlam procession besides setting up CCTv cameras for surveillance.

As Chehlum coincides with Urs of Hazrat Data Ganj Baksh, security has been beefed up in the city to aviod any mishap.

Moreover, cellular phone services will remain unavailable in Sindh from 12:00 noon to 10:00pm while in Gilgit-Baltistan it will be effective from 12:00 noon to 6:00pm.

The mobile services will also remain suspended in four districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that include Peshawar, Kohat, D.I Khan and Tank.